EDUCATION MATTERS
Advancing Efficiency and Quality: Progress on IEA’s Harmonization Project
BY DIRK HASTEDT & JULIANE HENCKE
The IEA Harmonization Project, launched in 2024, has made considerable progress toward streamlining study operations across the organization. Through comprehensive stakeholder engagement, targeted topic identification, and collaborative initiatives, the project is laying the foundation for greater coherence, efficiency, and quality across IEA studies.
PROJECT OVERVIEW AND PURPOSE IEA’s Harmonization Project was initiated with the aim of identifying commonalities and differences in study implementation across various IEA studies and grouping them into three categories: While category I would include aspects that are already aligned across IEA studies (aligned aspects), category II would encompass issues that, while different, have strong rationales for their variation (justified differences) and lastly category III would target areas where harmonization could be implemented, pending a thorough evaluation of the impacts of these changes on time and costs (potential harmonization opportunities). With this methodical approach it is ensured that harmonization efforts are practical and feasible, still considering the diverse nature of IEA studies. By highlighting both commonalities and discrepancies, the project seeks to foster greater alignment, reduce duplication of effort, and improve the overall effectiveness of study processes—from planning to dissemination where suitable.
IDENTIFYING AREAS FOR HARMONIZATION The first phase focused on gathering insights from key stakeholders across the IEA network: • National Research Coordinators from six countries who coordinate multiple IEA studies were invited to share their top three to five areas of concern. Their feedback highlighted notable divergences in implementation. • IEA staff in Amsterdam and Hamburg contributed practical observations based on their daily workflows. • Study Directors also offered valuable input across operational, analytical, and reporting dimensions. These inputs were aggregated and organized across the study lifecycle, leading to the identification of major areas of concern.
“The project is laying the foundation for greater coherence, efficiency, and quality across IEA studies.”
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